The last weekend of 2022 kept Washington State Patrol (WSP) officials busy as they conducted the final leg of the agency’s High Visibility Enforcement (HiVE) emphasis series. The agency implemented the special enforcement program in order to reduce serious and deadly accidents.
On the night of December 31, officials patrolling Interstate 5 in Snohomish County wrote 198 citations for speeding violations, as well as 131 for aggressive driving.
Additionally, at least 8 drivers were arrested for suspected DUI in the same area. Two of the drivers arrested for DUIs were also involved in hit-and-run accidents.
Dozens of other drivers were also found to be distracted, while dozens were not wearing their seatbelts while behind the wheel.
WTSC: Collisions On The Rise In The State Of Washington
Data from the end of October in 2022 demonstrates that collisions increased 15% when compared to 2021. One of the most common factors behind these collisions is driving while intoxicated.
In areas such as Bellevue, law enforcement officials saw the number of DUI arrests increase 36% when compared to the previous year. Talking to local news outlets, Bellevue Police Sergeant Brendan Kidd said that the problem is concerning the department.
“We’ve seen a pretty significant increase in DUIs this year, over 200 already, so we’ve kind of put that as a mission for the department in a lot of the emphasis we’ve been doing,” he said.
In Seattle, officials registered 30 deadly accidents in 2021 and 11 fatal collisions in the first five months of 2022. Speeding and drunk driving were both named as factors behind the increase in the reported crashes.
As law enforcement agencies work to lower the rate of deadly accidents across the state, they are reminding drivers that they should do their part to avoid injury.
“DUI crashes are completely preventable, and we’d encourage people to use a lot of the technologies that are out there to get them safely home without getting behind the wheel,” Kidd told news outlets.
In 2023, remember the official’s words and help to put an end to DUI accidents in the state of Washington by never drinking and driving.
